Aideen Hayden (Labour) | Oireachtas source

In regard to the Croke Park agreement, last month, when this matter came into the public domain, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin, made it clear that he intended to look at all the allowances and to establish the best way of modernising the pay structure and eliminating outdated arrangements. As I said previously in this House, the reason we are dealing with this quagmire of allowances is because Senator Byrne's party in government instituted all of these allowances for this, that and the other, instead of dealing with the real issue of low paid workers.